Bala Shark

[Lady G]

Red Belly, I'm not trying to say you are wrong. I put both place's because I was trying to show how different information is at different sites. You obviously know more than I do about them if you have raised them for 10 years! I am still pretty new at fish keeping and most the information I have is from this site and the sites others have recomended, and in all the places I had been (until now) I had read that they grow that big and had been advised they were one of those fish that should not be kept in a aquarium.
I really am interested in how big and how long yours live and grow, this is for my own "peace of mind" I guess you could say. I assumed mine were growing slowly because I had them in to small of a tank. (In the 30/gallon) now they are going in a 55 so I am hoping they will grow a little more and be happy, they really are a great fish and very active.
Really I wasn't trying to start a "my opinion is better than yours" war, and I am sorry if you took it that way. This is a great site and I have got some very good advice here (actually I think you have answered a few of my questions from time to time).

Anyway to the original persons question though a 20 gallon community tank would be to small right?
Please let me know about the growth rate.

Thanks,

Gin

 

[Lady G]

I just had one more question then to Red belly, sorry... but if I have a 55 with 3 bala, 2 dwarf gouramis, and 5 blk skirt tetras can I get 3 more bala so I can have the recomened 6? I never got more because I was advised that I shouldn't even have them in the first place or would it be to late for them to "bond" with the other 3?

Thanks,

Gin

 

[Candycat21]

Okay to answer the original posters question, forget balas in a 20, they shouldn't be kept in anything smaller than a 90 gallon at first as they need to be in groups and are fairly shy, skittish fish. However once they reach a size of about 6-8 inches, a 180 gallon is the minimum for a small group of bala sharks. Bala sharks are very active swimmers and need tons of swimming space in order to be happy and comfortable.

Gstoffer - You are right by not getting anymore balas for your size tank. IMO you shouldn't even have 3 in a 55 gallon, but I know that's what you can afford right now for them, so I'm proud that you actually care about your fish and are willing to upgrade to the necessary tank size and at least you got them out of that 30! :thm:
Now, unless you are planning on getting a MUCH larger tank here in the next 2 months or so, don't even bother getting 3 more balas. Your tank would be way overstocked if 3 more bala sharks were added. Rather leave the 3 you already have as is.
Now for size. I just want to say that Balas grow very quickly if kept in the right conditions! I had mine in a 46 for a few months until I got my 250 up and running and cycled. While in the 46 they were around 4 inches a piece and I had only had them about 5 months. As soon as I got them into the bigger tank they just blew up in size. They are all now pushing 10-11 inches in little than a years time and are still growing like crazy!!! :clap:
Just because someone has been keeping a certain fish for a long time, does not always mean that they know what is right or do things the right way for that particular type of fish.
I know there are MANY other aquariaists on this site that will agree with me that even a 75 gallon is too small for even 3 Bala Sharks, not to mention the 6-7 that red_belly_pacu suggested!! :rant: !! Yes maybe at first a 75 would be okay to start them out in if they're on the smaller side from the start, but the tank will need to be upgraded at some point, say when each othe sharks start to get around 4-5 inches.
Also, you probably won't find Bala Sharks for sale bigger than 5 inches, but that by no means suggests that they won't GET BIGGER once you get them home!!! It's usually once you get them home and have them for a few months that they start to get bigger.
Honestly, these sharks should live a good 15 plus years if kept in the correct setup.
A lot of the information given on **************** IMO is wrong, including the info about the Balas.
betsonmets12 stay away from Bala Sharks unless you start off with a larger tank.
gstoffer stick with what you have already. Don't start doubting yourself after this because you were very correct by thinking that Balas were too big for your tank and that you shouldn't get anymore. Rather save up for a larger tank in the future and then you can think about making that Bala school bigger :
Good Luck to the both of you and PM me or post a new thread if you have anymore questions!